Do you own Practically Raw yet? Do you love it?! The Amazon reviews have been trickling in slowly, but I’d love to bump them (and my book’s ranking) up just a bit. If you have a free moment, please leave a positive review on the book’s Amazon page.

I have had a rough few days, folks. But during my otherwise-craptastic week, these little cake balls were a bright spot. Nutrition-wise, they’re almost too good to be true…but they’re 100% real. Enjoy!

In a small bowl, combine the protein powder, coconut flour and oil, and 6 tablespoons water and stir very well to combine (the mixture will be extremely thick). If it becomes too dry to mix properly, add more water, a tablespoon at a time (you may add up to 2 more tablespoons). Taste for sweetness and add some stevia, if desired.

Roll the mixture into four small balls and refrigerate until firm.

Notes

There are NO substitutions for the coconut flour and coconut oil here. If you use any other type of flour or oil, the recipe will not work!

They may not be the prettiest little snacks in the world, but they sure are tasty.

I tested this recipe with both Sunwarrior (Warrior Blend Vanilla) and PlantFusion (Vanilla Bean). The only difference was that the ones containing PlantFusion required a tad more water.

Flavor-wise, the Sunwarrior ball (see above) was my favorite, but texture-wise, the PlantFusion ball (see below) was the best. In the end, it’s a toss-up! I’m sure these would be great with any good-tasting vanilla protein powder you have on hand.

And they really do taste like cake batter! These are best the day they’re made, so I love that the batch yield is nice and small.

The stellar nutritional profile (just LOOK at all that plant-based protein!) even lets me pop two at a time with zero guilt.

Enjoy.

P.S. I’m adding this post-script because I get an email roughly once per week about my labeling of this recipe as nut-free. Yes, it IS nut-free! As are all recipes free of tree nuts but containing coconut products. Coconuts are actually the seed of a drupaceous fruit, so they’re not nuts at all, and are safe for people with nut allergies. But I understand the confusion. In the U.S., coconut is classed as a nut for food-labeling purposes, but that’s unfortunate, since it’s not even in the same botanical family!Here’s a link with lots of great information about coconut being safe to eat for people with tree nut allergies. When people react to coconut, it means they have a sensitivity to coconut specifically, which is separate from (and usually not even in conjunction with) a nut sensitivity.

I am so in love with this recipe. It’s perfect because it has just 5 ingredients and all you have to do is mix and eat. I may have to eat some before they go in the fridge but I think some might make it there. This should give the protein boost and nutrition that I need to make it through those times when I feel like I’m starving and don’t want to spend a whole lot of time making something. I sympathize with your situation because I don’t have my health under control and you can see it when you look at me. I feel like crap all the time. I hope you find the right med’s and the right balance asap. Thank you so much for the recipe.

Ah, I just wanna give you a big ole hug! And I don’t even like hugs! I hope you start feeling better soon. I know being bloated has to be the worst (I think that would be even worse that physically feeling bad …). I’m sure, though, that this thing will turn around soon. I just know it! Also, those cake balls look amazing! I really must track down some coconut flour.

Have you tried these with the chocolate sun warrior powder yet Amber? Sure they would be good too ! And by the way, I”m in med school now, so we will have a MK alum in the medical world to help heal all the (high) raw vegans in need of someone in medicine who understands them:) sending blessings, ox Carlin

Amber–let’s talk soon! I’m sorry you’re having a rough time with the meds–it all sounds like healing to me, though. I hope you can ignore the waterbloat. Herxheimer/die-off reaction maybe too? Here’s to good tenants in your apartment building of self! (speaking of, I have a poem to send you on those lines).

I just got some sunwarrior pea protein–liking it so far. I keep promising a protein powder blog post, and think I’ll do it within the week. That’s a lovely little recipe you got there. I bet it works with 2-3 tbs of coconut butter instead of the coconut flour+oil too. And so versatile–you could add all kinds of flavors to customize–vanilla, mint, all the medicine flower flavors…

Hope you feel better soon – and know that even though you don’t like sending out posts about feeling crappy, your “friends” want to know how you’re doing, and that’s what this community is all about! If we didn’t care, we wouldn’t ask. So that being said, thanks for posting a recipe even when you don’t feel well. I also added another review for your book, I love it!

Amber, you are so clever. I’d have never thought to make little cake batter balls out of protein powder! I almost want to run out get some of the protein you are using just to make these. The texture looks amazing, like the flour-containing cookie dough balls.
So sorry about your shitty week. Def sounds like you are experiencing MAJOR die-off symptoms from the bacteria. I have never experienced it that way, but I know my husband got very gassy and crampy when he went on a probiotic for the first time. And with the high count that you had…that’s what it sounds like. You poochy belly sounds like it’s probably just bloat from die-off and water weight. (I’m guessing that’s where your 10 lbs. came from…or the thyroid might be going a little crazy temporarily as it tries to balance back out.) You WILL feel worse before you feel better. There are a few lucky ones who do not go through such a severe detox, but I’ve not met many. It was this way with me, even on the Chinese herbs and the homeopathics. It was 2 weeks of hell, the third week got a little better–but in all honesty in 6 weeks I felt better than I’d felt in years. That may not be your experience…every body is different. And remember–you took a rather aggressive approach to this. The meds and probiotics and super strict diet…you are getting this from all angles at once, and that usually leads to a quick and furious detox.
Remember to say kind things to yourself first thing in the morning, even if you aren’t digging how you look right now. Where the mind goes, the body will follow.
xoxo

Jeezus, I HOPE it’s die-off! What scares me is that I can’t remember a day in the past 6 months, at least, when I WASN’T bloated…it’s just particularly extreme right now (any minute now, someone is bound to ask me when I’m due…). But with the emotional craziness too, ugh, it better be die-off. I specifically suspect the golden seal root that was in my H-PLR supplement…I read that it can wreak havoc on a fragile immune system (but luckily I’m told it does a decent job of killing internal bugs).

Repeat after Trish: I WILL feel worse before I feel better, I WILL feel worse before I feel better…

Don’t be so hard on your precious, fragile
self. God, I’m sounding like a hippie, but HONOR yourself for the hard work you are doing and brave steps you’ve taken to get your body back in balance. It will thank you later on.
Two years ago I was at Sam’s Club, and this was during a time when my thyroid decided to ‘relapse’ again–fault of my own…was indulging in WAAAAAYYYYY too many cakes and no managing stress well. Anyhow, I was bloated and ‘thick’ from the extra weight gain. My husband and I saw a girl that that works out at the community center in NKC (where I used to work out as well) in the store that day…and when she saw my husband at the gym the next week, she commented to him that I had gained weight and asked if a congratulations was due. He was confused and asked why–she said because my stomach looked pregnant. Lol…yes, you can imagine. sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself to keep from killing others.

Amber,
Sorry to hear that you’re feeling awful! It WILL get better!!! I don’t have your condition but I DO know what it feels like to feel like your body is out of control. It’s the loneliest feeling in the world. My thoughts are with you. Thank you for the amazing cake batter recipe. I love thar they’re super-healthy!

They are Chunks of Energy and for the life of me, I have been wanting to recreate an at-home version. The add-in’s are irrelevant, it’s the base of the “dough” that I am trying to nail and it either gets too crumbly with protein powder, too sweet if I add more agave, too blah if I use too much coconut powder. Soy powder/flour does exist, different that soy protein powder, but it’s a hard to source item. Anyhooo…I need to make these and then compare to my beloved Chunks.

I love Chunks of Energy! I remember reading that post of yours. These are not at all like Chunks, though – they’re much too soft and cakey. However, keeping working on figuring out a recipe for homemade Chunks…so I can make it! 😉

*hugs hugs hugs* It’s simply no fun when you’re in the low part of “it gets worse before it gets better”, but it WILL get better. I wish I could give you a baby kangaroo to cuddle when you feel like crying xoxoxo

P.S. Yay! I’ve gone off smoothies lately and so my Sunwarrior has been sitting abandoned in the pantry. Will try this as soon as I restock my coconut flour

I can so relate. I get bad bloat too like a pregnant lady, the nausea too. All the bad symptoms of being pregnant but no baby. I know a few people said the bloat could be die-off. I have had some of that too. I am curious the meds you are taking, I certain antibiotics can even cause candida and you probably don’t want that on top of your current situation. (Only mentioning it because it came up when I googled H pylori drugs and it’s one I’ve taken and researched–I’m basically on all the drugs for that even though I don’t have an ulcer) I know you got tested for candida but the tests are notoriously innaccurate. I hate the whole idea of getting worse before you get better too but it’s just how it has to go sometimes. Hard to think of it getting better in the midst of it all. Sometimes all it takes is a little glimpse of feeling better, hope you get that soon even if it’s just fleeting, it helps boost morale.

The cake balls look so good. I am not the hugest fan of the sunwarrior flavor by itself, but I like the idea of this. I may have to add some cacao in there to further mask it. Or try another protein powder. The stevia in the sunwarrior is too strong for me.

I was taking a supplement called H-PLR by Apex Energetics. It contained several strong herbs and botanicals. I REALLY hope it worked during the month I was on it; if not, we’ll have to resort to antibiotics
My stool test said no yeast, but who really knows…
I’d settle for a fleeting glimpse of wellness at this point!

Have you tried the Sunwarrior Warrior Blend? It’s so much tastier than the plain rice protein. I can practically eat it by the spoonful.

If antibiotics is what it takes, I’ll definitely do it. It’s not like I have much good bacteria in there to wipe out, anyway.

I wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case re: candida. My stool test was done through MetaMetrix; I don’t know if that means anything. Yeah, I am pretty much on the diet…I haven’t noticed any physical difference after drinking smoothies, but then again I pretty much feel like a whale 24 hours a day. I’m bloated when I go to bed and when I wake up in the morning.

don’t know which lab is bad or good. sorry. it’s regional too. but they aren’t necessarily reliable. i guess if the other stuff doesn’t pan out, it’s worth exploring candida diet stuff and herbs and meds since it’s such a common problem. candida will make you feel emotional for sure. i get the most bloated before bed and when i wake up too. i can track certain symptoms to certain foods, but it took me awhile to be able to do that.

Ok when you said medication I thought you meant drugs. I am all for them if that’s what works. I have seen too many people suffer on principle.

My doctor said it depends on which lab you send the stools to, that will mean a positive or negative. Um, ok. Meaning it is a subjective test. Many people in the candida forums will say the labs can be negative even though they have it. You are practically on the diet anyhow, although any blended fruit will make it worse. Do you bloat after smoothies?

We have the warrior blend. It’s ok, I can put a tablespoon or so in things, just don’t think I could do it by the tablespoon on its own.

Awwww my poor girl! I’m so sorry! Hubby has had tummy issues forever! H. Pylori was a problem for a while too. I almost don’t feel bad for him because he REFUSES to eat healthy foods (HATES my ‘fake’ food) so he suffers the consequences. But you, you poor angel, I’m so sorry you have to go through all of this! Praying for better health!!! Maybe papaya could be in an upcoming recipe? I hear they’re great for digestion!

Hi Amber Shea, I just found your site and, while I’m not vegan or raw entirely, I love trying out new vegan and raw recipes. I just ordered the Sunwarrior protein, so I’m excited to try these balls!….um, yeah, you know what I mean. Is there one recipe you have that you’d say is the most popular or best reviewed? Thanks for any help!

Nice to “meet” you! Oh yes, my most popular recipe would have to be my Famous Five-Minute Blondies. You can get a single-serving version of the recipe here, but the full-batch version is in my cookbook Practically Raw. They’re to-die-for!

So sorry to hear you’re still not feeling your best. I look forward to when your elimination diet draws to a close…perhaps the added food/nutrition will actually serve to strengthen and heal. Sending good thoughts.

Love these! Such a brilliant idea… couldn’t locate coconut flour so I subbed in cinnamon. Wow….good this they are such a great post workout snack along with some fruit (cause- lets face it- i dont always feel like having a protein drink….). Easy to make and even easier to eat! Thank you and hope youre feeling better!

I’ve been on low-dose antibiotics for about 6 months now and have cut out most sugar from my diet to avoid candida overgrowth. I’m always on the lookout for tasty sugar-free treats! I just made these (with the Sunwarrior powder, just plain flavor) and they are fan-frickin-tastic! Thanks for sharing! Hope you start feeling better soon.

Spotted these on Pinterest and made them right away. I’m so glad to have found them—there are only so many protein smoothies a gal can eat!
I use Lifetime Unsweetened protein powder because it has zero grams of sugar. When I made these I added a little stevia to the mixture but after I rolled them out into balls, I realized they could use a little more kick (of sweetness or something) so I rolled them in a granulated stevia and cinnamon mixture. Not bad!
Thanks for sharing.

Yummy recipe! I need to get some coconut flour. I had H.Pylori over a decade ago and it was awful. The meds made me feel icky and I decided to research natural remedies. Drinking massive quantities of cabbage juice daily is supposed to do the trick. I can’t remember the others but if you do a little research you should be able to cure it on your own with a little help from mother nature. Good luck!

Oh I hope you are feeling better!! I had H.pylori last Oct and the meds they gave me had gluten in them, my insurance wouldnt pay for the gluten free meds…..soo sick for 6 weeks while I killed my bad gut bugs…still feeling some residual side effects of the meds….Where do I find the protien powder and the coconut flour and oil?? Have a great Labor day weekend!!

I buy Sunwarrior’s Warrior Blend, which is made of pea, hemp, and cranberry protein. Their original version IS made with sprouted brown rice, but the final product is free of lectins and phytates, which are what most people with grain sensitivities avoid.

Amber,
I just discovered that I have parasites based on my metametrix lab and was told that Apex Energetic’s GI Synergy would take care of them. Did you take this for your pylori? I know that pylori is a bacteria and not a parasite but just thought I would see. I have had so many negative reactions to things in the past that I’m afraid to try anything new!
Thanks,
Rachel

Hi Rachel,
No, I took a supplement called H-PLR that’s specifically for eradicating H. pylori. Since I tested negative for parasites, I don’t have any experience with GI Synergy or other similar meds. I’m sorry! Good luck…

Found this post off of pinterest and wanted to let you know that my computer gave me a warning for potentially bad information and or spamming from your site. I’m on a mac and have very minimal security settings set.

Hey! I checked this page out because I am always on the hunt for peanut/ tree nut free recipes, as we have that allergy in our house… But I would be negligent to avoid noting that COCONUT is technically a tree nut, and should be treated as such. So to say this recipe is “nut free,” isn’t quite exactly right! However, it looks tasty, and I might try it after my nut-allergies go to bed!

Hi Corrie!
Actually coconuts are the seed of a drupaceous fruit, so they’re not nuts at all, and are safe for people with nut allergies. In the U.S., coconut is classed as a nut for food-labeling purposes, but that’s unfortunate, since it’s not even in the same botanical family.
Here’s a link with lots of great information about coconut being safe to eat for people with tree nut allergies: http://blog.onespotallergy.com/2011/03/is-coconut-safe-for-people-with-tree-nut-allergies/
When people react to coconut, it means they have a sensitivity to coconut specifically, which is separate from (and usually not even in conjunction with) a nut sensitivity. Sorry to hear you’re sensitive to both tree nuts and coconut! =/

They look SO good!
I just wish I could get raw vegan AND affordable protein powder where I live… In Germany, finding vegan protein powder is already kind of a challenge. And ordering it from the US is… expensive 😉

I was hesitant to try these because they seemed so weird… but they worked!! I used SunWarrior chocolate with great results! Now to investigate making it with unflavoured protein powder and some cocoa, me thinks.

Wow! Those look so good (something I can actually eat too) I have been gluten free for about a year and two months and vegan-ish (eggs once a month) for nearly nine months. There are so many options now, but it has been hard with the number of allergies I have. Besides being gluten intolerant, I am allergic to soy, cow’s milk, mushrooms, fennel, sesame seeds, cinnamon, beef, crab, cantaloupe, pineapple,and goat’s milk. I think it is so cool that you take people with allergies like mine into consideration. I just hope you will make some cinnamon-free desserts!

Wow, that’s quite a list of allergies, Anna! Sorry to hear about that. I do try to take allergies into account whenever possible, though. For any of my desserts that contain cinnamon, feel free to omit it and try adding a sprinkle of nutmeg and allspice in its place!

Hi Kari! Great question. Actually coconuts are the seed of a drupaceous fruit, so they’re not nuts at all, and are safe for people with nut allergies. In the U.S., coconut is classed as a nut for food-labeling purposes, but that’s unfortunate, since it’s not even in the same botanical family!
Here’s a link with lots of great information about coconut being safe to eat for people with tree nut allergies: http://blog.onespotallergy.com/2011/03/is-coconut-safe-for-people-with-tree-nut-allergies/
When people react to coconut, it means they have a sensitivity to coconut specifically, which is separate from (and usually not even in conjunction with) a nut sensitivity.

Quick question-
My son actually had a life threatening nut AND coconut allergy (go figure!) so I don’t buy coconut oil and/or flour even if it’s just for me.
Do you know of any good subs for both of these that would work well in this recipe and still stay vegan and gluten free (I’m celiac!) ? :0)

Given that this post is over a year old, I sure hope you’ve obliterated the H. pylori by now. But just in case someone else stumbling across this finds this useful…I’ve been researching this myself this week, and discovered a Journal article (Journal of Gastroenterology or something – I don’t recall off the top of my head) that said that several essential oils – most especially lemongrass and lemon verbena – were effective for killing H. pylori.

I haven’t tried it yet, myself (still waiting on my oils to arrive in the mail), but if it works that sure sounds like a better option than antibiotics.

As to the cake batter balls: have you tried these with chocolate protein powder, by any chance?

Amber, this recipe sounds great! Thanks for posting. Sorry you are not feeling well. Dandelion root tea can help with bloating. It is really strong so I mix it with a bit of juice in the tea. Feel better soon.

Hi there,
I just read this about your taking medication for H Pylori. I was also diagnosed with HP and prescribed medication. I looked it up on the internet and discovered that 75% of the world is infected with HP and that it is common for infants to acquire it when they begin breastfeeding.

I also read that HP often hides within the stomach cells where anti-biotics can’t reach, so they can multiply again when the treatment stops. Also, HP likes consuming carbohydrates.

So I didn’t take the medication and reduced my carbs hugely. I also reasoned that introducing fermented foods like kefir (you can make water kefir), sauerkraut and kombucha would help crowd out HP, so I started going nuts with the stuff. This was over a year ago and my stomach pain went away mostly, it only gnaws a bit when there’s nothing in it.

This post is actually a year and a half old, so I cleaned up my H. pylori long ago! (My meds were herbal, not pharmaceutical, btw.) However, I appreciate your suggestions, and maybe they will help someone else who reads this post in the future.

Hi I was just wondering if you could help me out with the recipe. They didnt turn out right for me. It wasnt thick enough to roll into balls. I added 7 tablespoons of water before i realized i was only suppose to add 6 at first. So i tried to fix it by adding more flour and protein but it didnt work. But on the plus side they were YUMMY !

Hello,
i think the answer tho this is gonna be no but here we go anyway, since i don’t have any protein powder could i substitute it with anything else? i love coconut personally, have u tried this without the powder with just the coconut? could i skip the powder and just have cocnut balls? thank you very much

Hi Elena,
I don’t think this would work, since the result would be dry and bland. All the sweetness in this recipe comes from the protein powder. However, you could experiment with a combination of coconut flour + granulated coconut sugar + coconut oil. Let us know if you come up with a new version!

These are super yummy! The best part is how quick they whip up. And…if you don’t want to be fussy with rolling them into balls and giving them a few minutes in the fridge, they are fine to eat out of the bowl. Oh yea, I ate some & I am not ashamed of it. Thanks for sharing this.

Mine turned out to be a big pile of mush. It was not thick at all and was very runny like cake batter. The only change i did was using regular flour instead. I only used 5 T of water too. Bummed i had to throw it out.

Sounds like it must be your protein powder – I’m betting the whey-based powder just absorbs less liquid than a plant-based powder (which is what this recipe was tested with). If you try again, just add as much additional protein powder as you need to get the mixture thicker and roll-able.

Good idea!! What I ended up doing was adding one more tablespoon of the coconut flour (3 total) and only 3 tablespoons of water and it was firm enough to be rolled into balls although still a little sticky. Next time I’ll do all of the above I just mentioned and add a little more protein powder and I’m guessing that will work out just fine! Thank you!!

It’s probably your protein powder – what kind did you use? A whey-based powder, for instance, absorbs less liquid than a plant-based powder (which is what this recipe was tested with). If you try again, just add as much additional protein powder as you need to get the mixture thicker and roll-able, and/or add additional coconut flour, a teaspoon at a time.